WATCHMEN.

In 1986, writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons began a twelve issue comic book series known as Watchmen. Published by DC Comics, it featured a group of new superheroes loosely based on Charlton Comics characters the company had recently acquired rights to, but wanted to continue featuring after Moore's story was finished. The tale begins with the murder of one of the heroes, and in unspooling that mystery a larger plot is uncovered, even as we learn these characters' origins along the way and find that, unlike most comic books which glorify heroes to a godlike status, Watchmen treated them like regular people who aged, had flaws, had fears, and made mistakes.

I had heard talk of the series for years, always spoke of with hushed reverence by fanboys, but didn't get around to reading the collected edition until around 2003 or so. It seemed a little wordy at first, with a lot of small panels. Where were the splash pages and sound effects from the comics I'd read in the ‘90s? But within a few pages I was completely invested in these characters, and each chapter left me hungry for the next. Would they be okay? What was going to happen? It was riveting. It was set in the “real” world, at least an alternate version of the ‘80s in which the cold war was going strong and Nixon was still president. It was not unheard of for comic books to set heroes in real world political events, Captain America's “involvement” in World War II being the greatest example. But the outcome of these events were always the same as it was in our world, while Watchmen seriously asked the question, “how would our world be different if heroes existed?”

The silver age was a grand one for these first costumed adventurers, but the golden age and their successors were much darker. Many of the originals ended up dead, insane, corrupt, or any combination of the above. And with the world on the brink of nuclear war, the United States had one advantage in the world's only true superpowered being, the radioactive Doctor Manhattan(inspired by Charlton's Captain Atom). Manhattan's atomic abilities were near limitless. He could perceive his own past and future in a nonlinear fashion, teleport, fire bursts of radiation, manipulate matter telekinetically, duplicate himself, and alter his size. Over the decades, he grows more and more detached emotionally from the human race.

For years, the novel, as the series came to be regarded, seemed impossible to adapt. How could over 400 pages of story make it to the screen within a reasonable running time, and still be accessible to people who hadn't read the comic, or weren't even comic book aficionados? Moore certainly opposed it, especially after the whole LXG debacle. Those of you who, like myself, thought it was a decent action movie and concept if a bit campy at times might change your tune upon reading the original League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Beyond the concept of combining literary and legendary figures, the film barely resembles the much deeper, darker four color illustrated masterpiece that certainly wasn't the PG-13 material the adaptation was. Moore's work was mutilated once before, so what chance would Watchmen have of even resembling the complex and adult themes he put costumed characters into?

In the right hands, Watchmen could be surprisingly faithful. Director Zach Snyder proved once before that he could treat graphic novel source material as storyboards, bringing to life 300, and now I'm happy to say he's two for two. From the opening scenes, it was as though those little tiny panels had expanded to a movie screen aspect ratio and brought to life. This was the “real” world of the alternate 1980s. These were the characters I'd read about. The opening credits masterfully condense the origins of the costumed hero in America, showing the silver age in all its idealistic silliness before the film shows us how time will erode even the brightest facade, and how nostalgia can polish away any dark spots. We catch up with Rorschach, my favorite character from both the graphic novel and the film, as he investigates the murder of a former ally and begins to uncover the larger picture. Jackie Earle Haley really brings the character, based on the original Question,, to life as he monologue's excerpts from Rorschach's journal. He's truly the breakout character of the film, as is Billy Crudup's Doctor Manhattan. The character's nudity was somewhat more understated in the comic, but viewers should easily get past CGI enhancements to the subtlety of Crudup's performance as a supposedly emotionless, godlike figure who still maintains the faintest connection to the humanity he left behind.

Honestly, every actor was spot-on and true, from Patrick Wilson's weary and sincere Nite Owl to Jeffrey Dean Morgan's cigar-chomping seemingly amoral Comedian. Malin Akerman is both gorgeous and seductive as the second Silk Spectre while Carla Gugino does an excellent job playing her mother, doing double duty as a 67-year-old retired heroine in the 80s and her debut in the 40s as a sex symbol and empowered female. Matthew Goode rounds out our team as the quietly arrogant Ozymandias, self-proclaimed “smartest man in the world,” while cult-favorite and former Max Headroom Matt Frewer portrays a weathered old villain. In that world like our own, everyone ages, health fails, and ideals are tested as they wrestle with whether or not the ends justify the means for the greater good.

I don't want to get too specific about the plot, or the changes and cuts made from the novel into order to get it to a running time of just under three hours and still make sense as a story to a wider audience. Fans shouldn't miss what was sacrificed, and in the end it all works really well. I overheard a theater worker in the lobby before the movie began describe it as “the most R-Rated Superhero movie ever,” and I'd say that was an adequate description. No punches are pulled in language, violence, or sexual situations. This is a very dark place, not for children, and yet there manages to be hope. In the midst of the tragedy and broken dreams, there's a beautiful love story, and even the most tragic figures might find victory, even if beyond the grave. It's a remarkable portrait of morality, without the clear good guys and bad guys of your typical mainstream comic book, although there is enough choreographed fights and vigilante righteous fury to satisfy the popcorn crowd. I was immersed for three hours that felt like less, and I'll definitely be getting the inevitable extended DVD cut of the film as well as the animated Tales of the Black Freighter, which covers a story within the main story that didn't make it to the film. I'm really enjoying this growing trend of filmmakers treating the comic book heroes as fully rounded people in a world that is our own, albeit slight askew.

Who watches the Watchmen? I did and if you like the novel or this review, then you should too.